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| Letter to Nigerian Minister for Foreign Affairs: Rights of Persons with Disabilitiies |
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| Monday, 05 May 2008 | ||||||
     JOINT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES OF NIGERIA IN THE DIASPORA, USA P.O. BOX 710251 HOUSTON, TEXAS 77251 Phone: (832) 623-0502. Fax: (281) 752-9477 May 3, 2008 CARE OF: H.E. AMBASSADOR PROFESSOR U. JOY OGWU. Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations Nigeria House 828 Second Avenue. New York, NY 10017 TO: H.E. Minister Ojo Maduekwe Nigerian Minster for Foreign Affairs Abuja-Nigeria MORE THAN 19 MILLION NIGERIANS WITH DISABILITIES URGE NIGERIA TO RATIFY the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities H.E. Minister Ojo Maduekwe, We are writing on behalf of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities of Nigeria, which was established by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration to become an umbrella organization for all other Nigerian organizations for persons with disabilities. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol were adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 13 December 2006. Nigeria and 127 governments – over half of UN Member States – have signed this landmark treaty. Nigerian and 70 other Nations have signed the Optional Protocol. Nigeria is not among 25 nations that have ratified the Convention and Nigeria is not also, among 15 nations that have ratified the Optional Protocol This Convention is an important promise to more than 19 million Nigerians with disabilities, their families and for a society that seeks equality and inclusion for all, by H.E. Ambassador, Professor U. Joy Ogwu, as Chair of the UN GA signature signing ceremony, 3/30/07. Specifically, the Convention:
Our Nigerian nation and more than 130 countries participated in the negotiation process and here comes the time for Nigerian government and others, to take concrete action at both their national and international levels. We strongly urge President Yar’Adua to complete this good job, which former President Obasanjo started, and join other nations to ratify the Convention in a speedy manner. More specifically, we ask that the Government of Nigeria and President Yar’Adua’s administration to;
The International Disability Alliance (IDA) is a network of ten global and regional organizations of persons with disabilities. The IDA CRPD Forum is a coalition of disabled peoples’ organizations and allied NGOs promoting the implementation of the CRPD. As the Chair of the UN General Assembly signature signing ceremony, former Nigerian Minister for Foreign Affaires, “H.E. Professor U. Joy Ogwu, statement, titled, “On the Theme From Vision to Action: The Road to Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, At the signature signing ceremony of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, United Nations General Assembly, United Nations Headquarters, New York, March 30, 2007,” She stated as; “Mr. Chairman. The Nigerian delegation joins others in congratulating you and members of the Bureau of the Ad Hoc Committee as well as member States of the United Nations and all stakeholders on the successful conclusions that led to the adoption by the General Assembly of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. By this act, the international community finally acknowledges that the rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights do not adequately protect everyone and that persons with disabilities require a human rights instrument that addresses their specific needs and peculiar circumstances. The ceremony today marks an important watershed in history of over 650 million people in the world living with disabilities. “Mr. Chairman, Nigeria is fully committed to the promotion and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities…” As the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also, said during the Signing Ceremony for the CRPD on March 30, 2007, “The work of the Ad Hoc Committee in drafting the Convention and Optional Protocol demonstrated the exceptional political will that exists at the international level. I exhort all of you to harness this energy towards the implementation process ahead of us, to share successes and find solutions to challenges in realizing all human rights for all.” We are grateful to God for his good spirit that captured our, First Lady, H.E. Hajiya Turai Yar’Adua, who vowed to insure that valid, debatable, long-neglected and ignored issues of concerns to Nigerian women, children, and persons with disabilities, health care and poverty alleviation, must become major priorities, to this present, President Yar’Adua’s administration. Nigeria’s ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities (CRPDI) is the only binding law that will facilitate H.E. Hajiya Taurai Yar’Adua’s programs now. We invite H.E. Hajiya Taurai Yar’Adua to the United Nations Headquarters on May 12, 2008, to ratify this CRPD. H.E. Hajiya Taurai Yar’Adua, deserves to be physically part of this history that will remain in our Nigerian and World’s society for Generations to come. Therefore, we humbly and respectfully urge you to take the necessary steps to properly continue to advise our Nations like the previous Obasanjo’s administration, for Nigeria to become a State Party to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and we look forward to working with you to promote a more inclusive society. Sincerely Yours, Chief Eric Ndubueze Ufom, President, JONAPD & ERPDI  Quote this article on your site | Views: 481 | Print | E-mail
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